Baking with Stevia and Other Sugar Alternatives

[Indieflickers 298]

Has anyone had real success baking with stevia, Xylitol or Erythritol? I enjoy foods that are made with these ingredients but whenever I try to bake with them they come out terrible. I've found all these wonderful looking recipes for Protein baked goods but I'm never able to make them turn out well. I can't use Truvia, Splenda or aspartame because that stuff gives me headaches and triples my sugar cravings. Any advice?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

What are you baking with? Swerve bakes well.

It really depends on what you are making, how the recipe was designed and what sweetener you are using.

Do you have an example?

[Indieflickers 298]

@@OutsideMatchInside I tried Swerve. It made my mouth tingly. I tried Xylitol but I can't remember the brand. I tried SweetLeaf baking mix. There are a few others whose names I can't remember. I tried making brownies. I tried making cupcakes. I tried making frosting. Some of the recipes are from chocolate Covered Katie, Amy's Healthy Baking, All Day I Dream of food, and Desserts with Benefits. It's been awhile so I can't remember the exact recipes but I'm trying to start increasing my Protein and it made me want to try again

Edited March 22, 2016 by Indieflickers

[melyssafaye 181]

Why can't you use Truvia? I thought it was just a brand of Stevia. I have been using the baking blend in my tea. It has a tiny bit of real sugar in the mix but calories are something like 5, which is equal to a Crystal Light mix.

I'm just curious if you know anything bad about Truvia. I also don't use Splenda or Aspartame. My NUT said no to Xylitol because (according to her) it causes sugar cravings.

[Stevehud 1,790]

umm, dont bake?

Regardless of the sugar content, youre not going to get around the carbs.

You really should event be bothering. if something has a higher then normal Protein it still is not something good for you.

[Indieflickers 298]

@@Stevehud thanks for the advice. However, I don't mind carbs, especially if they're complex. As an incredibly active person I need a decent amount of carbs.

[Indieflickers 298]

@@melyssafaye that's a common misconception. Truvia is actually a blend of stevia, sugar alcohols and other ingredients I can't pronounce. I can't say that it's bad for you but it's produced by Coca Cola which makes me suspicious. Though that may just me being paranoid!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Yeah I agree, just no on truvia.

If swerve doesn't work for you, then I am not sure what to tell you, that is the best baking option.

So the sweetener in that ice cream you eat doesn't bother you? What is it sweetened with?

My Protein sweets are eatmeguiltfree.com brownies. I don't have the energy for baking and most low carb recipes for sweets are a pain in the ass.

Edited March 23, 2016 by OutsideMatchInside

[Indieflickers 298]

@@OutsideMatchInside no! I don't even notice the Erythritol in the ice cream which is why I was so excited to try Swerve but it literally made my tongue tingle!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

That's the thing with these artifical sweeteners they are all made so differently by different companies that it is hard to know which ones work.

Anything granulated is a wild card. They all have different ways they make them granulated and that makes all the difference. Your ice cream probably uses liquid sweetener, the liquid is more pure.

[Indieflickers 298]

@@OutsideMatchInside I hadn't thought of that! That's probably true. So swerve doesn't do anything weird for you? There's no odd aftertaste?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

No, I tolerate everything, no after taste. I just choose not to have some things because they are trash like truvia. It is worse than sugar.

[Indieflickers 298]

@@OutsideMatchInside I wish that was the case for me! Does it taste similar to normal baked goods for you?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I really don't want my Protein or low carb items to taste like normal baked goods. I just want them to taste good. I don't want to set myself up for eating things that taste like things I shouldn't eat. I like to eat things that taste, healthy or different. I eat Halo Top ice cream, it is delicious, but it doesn't taste exactly like regular ice cream. Just like the Protein brownies I eat, they don't taste like brownies but they taste good and a lot better than Protein Bars. I'm not really out to mimic real baked goods.

The only thing I have ever made at home that tastes exactly the same is cheesecake.

[Indieflickers 298]

Interesting. I think that's a really good way to look at it. Could I ask for the recipes your Protein brownies and cheesecake?